NEW DELHI: The Climate Group, in collaboration with the World Bank Institute and the Dutch Postcode Lottery, has launched an off-grid energy competition that seeks innovative, micro-grid based energy solutions to scale up electricity access in the states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra in India.

This off-grid energy challenge is part of The Climate Group’s access to rural energy project in India, - Bijli – Clean Energy for All* - principally funded by the Dutch Postcode Lottery which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the lives of rural inhabitants by deploying renewable energy technologies and improving infrastructure over the course of two years.

The Climate Group foresees this project as an opportunity to demonstrate the potential of renewable energy-powered off-grid electricity access in rural India, and ultimately stimulate India’s Clean Revolution.

This challenge will award grants of a minimum of $30,000 and up to a maximum of $100,000 each, to eligible Indian companies and organizations that are currently providing sustainable and commercially viable off-grid “access to energy solutions”. These solutions deploy renewable resources and power local economic activities, reaching a minimum of 100 separate and verifiable customers today.

The competition is designed to promote innovative, technological and financial solutions (possibly including any form of franchising) that scale-up or extend the use of proven technologies for delivery of off-grid energy through a variety of pioneering and commercially viable methods—reaching communities not served by existing power grids. Successful applicants will already be operating small businesses that are currently delivering affordable access to energy in off-grid areas of India on a commercially viable basis, to a minimum of 100 customers (who may be households or businesses).

If you are interested in applying for this competition and be part of our rural electrification project in India, please click below for more information and for the application form. Please apply on or before October 31, 2013